Quotes

A truly creative new director? Well, the whole world is waiting. And here (the U.S.), the directors with real genius seem to have become so enamored of success that they've become seduced by the chance to make big money by turning out a flashy product for young people. When I was young, I ran to see Astaire and Rogers, Huston, Lubitsch - they were formative for me. I also read Flash Gordon when I was 6, but if I were still reading it when I was 16, I'd have been an imbecile. So what I'm saying is that these directors who are so in love with success, no matter how great their talent, are ultimately disappointing. This is all part of the crisis. Now, when it comes to the better exponents of this kind of film, I admit I run to see them too. I adore the work of Lucas and Spielberg. I'm certainly not trying to minimize their talents, but I'd love to see what they could do when they aren't leading us from reality.

I am looking for a reality that deforms the body.

I am sure of things only because I love them. I am born first. Only then do I discover.

Really, there are two strands - two souls - which coexist in my work: the lighthearted one associated with musical comedies and the more socially conscious one.

I think that grotesque portraits can be very helpful to underline defects and vices of people, especially if you are portraying characters that represent a particular political background.

[on working with Federico Fellini] My experience with him as an assistant on 8½ gave me an incredible chance to open my mind and to understand how beautiful my job can be.

Federico [Fellini] was a magician to me, a real poet of the images. You can't learn from an ingenious talent like him, but you can certainly admire his way of working.

My theater roots gave me a very good preparation for working with actors. I always prepared for my films by insisting on many days of rehearsals with the cast. Since my first films, I've always asked to my actors to spend 40 days reading the screenplay and playing each scene. I also love improvisation in acting and that is probably something that derives from my theater background.

[on her Oscar nomination as Best Director] It was the media reaction that made me realize how significant my nomination was. Since I was in the U.S., I was flooded with interview requests from TV networks and newspapers. Someone told me that news reports were trumpeting the nomination as though it were a historic event. Actually, in hindsight, it was, especially for women all over the world. To this day I get thank-you letters from directors who say they have been inspired by my experience.

My desire to make movies is humbly born from my passion for this profession. A passion for the world we live in and also for having fun has always been part of my nature. As for the themes of my films, it's the world around me that inspired them. My main source of inspiration has always been my observation of society. I've talked about immigration, problems of [racial] integration, consumerism, social and political differences, contrasts between north and south.

I love grotesque poetry, and I think my films have that style, which combines humor and drama, irony and cynicism, comedy and tragedy. It allows you to play with different narrative tones and rhythms. It's more than a style-grotesque narrative reflects my own personality.

I've never endorsed the feminist movement. I consider myself a director, not a female director. I think there's no difference. The difference is between good movies and bad movies. We should not make other distinctions.